There's a possibility I might be doing a presentation or two about PC to local groups about my poetry book and PC in general. I've been thinking about what might be important to share about PC. One group would be mostly men and one group mostly women and both groups with varying degrees of experience with cancer (from none to cancer patients) Just start to think about his. So my question is, If you were ask to give a 15-20 minute talk on PC, what would be your main points?I'll be in the shop.Age 59, 52 at DXPSA: 4.2 10/11, 1.9 6/12, 1.2 12/12, 1.0 5/13, .6 11/13, .7 5/14, .5 10/14, .5 4/15, .3 10/15, .3 4/16, .4 10/16, .4 5/17, .3 10/17 .3 4/18, .4 11/18G 3+4Stage T1C2 out of 14 cores positive Treatment IGRT - 2/2012

1, The dramatic difference between low risk and high risk cases and the relationship to possible over treatment with low risk and under treatment with high risk2. The need to not panic and to be your own advocate (urologists want to cut, radiologists want to radiate, etc.)3. The recent advances in treatment during the last 10 years4. The role that diet and exercise has in potentially helping the Pca patient with the cancer and especially since more Pca patients die of heart disease than their cancer.

It might depend on the audience. And it also depends, I think, on your own personality Andrew. My immediate thought was along the lines of “Things you wanted to know but were afraid, or didn’t know, to ask”.

If it were me, I’d be thinking along the lines of things they may not be hearing from their local medical group...

Percentages of higher vs. lower risk. A quick mention of various treatments. (AS being a ligitimate and highly accepted form of tx)It may be less of an issue there than it is here, but here I’d mention the differences in outcomes between local treatments and centers of excellence. (Get to the most experienced teams possible.)The PSA screening debates.Wouldn’t be afraid of getting into the intimacy aspect, as well as other SE’s of tx’s.I’d mention Walsh’s book.I’d mention “The Prostate Snatcher” book

I don’t know if I could give a talk like that. My experience was so far outside the norm, there’s not that many people that can benefit from hearing it.

How “The big ‘C’” evokes fear in our society, and often a near-hysteria “get it out now” response, and how incredibly inappropriate that is for the majority of PC cases. PC is unlike other cancers: it is among the most common and least lethal of all cancers. Most men in the room have it right now and don’t know it. More importantly they don’t need to know it and it will never bother them...but if they rush out right now and “demand” a biopsy, they too can join the multitudes of men “branded” with having cancer, and can let themselves step onto the slippery slope to be over treated.

Andrew, the suggestions from IT and PDL are terrific. I might just add, since your book of poetry is an impetus for this, maybe spend a few minutes talking about how you cope...then and now...and how your poetry might have helped you through.

Some great suggestions already posed.I might be inclined to point out that despite the public perception as being the “good” cancer, PCa is the second leading cause of cancer death for men, 30,000 per year.

You could mention how well women have done advocating for breast cancer research and bringing it forward to society. I would sincerely congratulate them and say how wonderful it is that they have drawn so much attention to it. I would then contrast that with how little we have done it doing the same for prostate cancer. I do believe the mortality data is worse for breast cancer but not overwhelmingly. Men, for the most part, have been relatively silent on bringing our disease to the forefront. The American Cancer Society reports the difference in grants and money comparing breast cancer and prostate cancer is (grants: Breast Cancer 155 vs 54 for Pca and money:90 million vs 40 million.) We certainly don't begrudge the money donated for women. We just need to do a better job increasing the awareness to our disease.

Wow, lots of good thoughts here. Really liked PDL's last comment above. I'd guess that one point I'd try to make is that PCa shouldn't be scary and that you want to fight it from a position of knowledge and strength.

Another approach, if it's feasible, that is, you had access to a computer screen signed on to the web where you are presenting, might be to open with a short (a few minutes) but good video about PC, which the audience would watch. ("Let's begin by watching a short video, everyone"). And when it ends start your presentation by commenting first on the video, then moving on.

(This has always been a standard teaching technique in the Army. Watch a training film first, then the instructor starts talking about the message in the film. It's also a good way to open if you have any fear of public speaking. Let the video start it all off).Age: 73Chronic prostatitis (age 60 on)BPH w/ urinary obstruction, 6/2011TURP, 7/2011Ongoing high PSA, 7/2011-12/2011Biopsy, 12/2011: positive 3/12 (90%, 70%, 5%)Gleason 6(3+3), T1cNo mets, PCa likely still organ containedIMRT w/ HT (Lupron), 4/2012-6/2012PSAs (since post-IMRT): 0.1 or lower

Thanks for all your suggestions. They are all helpful. One group might have a computer screen. I have thought about doing some powerpoint slides for the talk or finding a short video. I have thought about creating a short Youtube video of my own.

But it's still just ideas floating in my brain at the moment.

There would be some poetry reading involved.

I would like to add to what's been said that likely I'd be more focusing on the coping/supporting/helping side of things as that is my tendency in such things. Certainly, what's been point out so far falls into that.

Pass out paper and pencils and ask everyone to draw a picture of a prostate.

Get them participating. Doing helps listening.

Figure out the one big thing you want to get across and hammer it. Forget everything else.

I like this. No ppt...speak from the head/heart.

I also like getting audience participation. I give a lot of presentations (almost always, however, with ppt). I did one about 2 weeks ago where I went to the Dollar Store the night before and bought $10 of goofy trinkets to give out as "prizes" to the first one to answer each of 10 very basic, fundamental questions I had at the beginning which helped to also "educate" others about some of the foundations of what I was then going to talk about. It was an entertaining way to bring everyone up to the same baseline of understanding. The audience of about 25 loved it...and everyone was very actively engaged.

Saipan's suggestion on paper/pencil sparked another idea I'll offer an extension of, too. Don't waste valuable time passing out pen/pencil...besides, a drawing of a prostate is just a walnut-sized circle. How about this: Ask the men to make an "O" with thumb and forefinger (like an "ok" hand gesture). Then hold it directly over their pelvic bone. This is how big it is, and where it's located, just on the other side of the bone...

Keep it simple! I wonder if you could manage a 15-20 minute poetic presentation.

Emphasize:

* The need to actively listen to the docs. Note taking is OK* Panicking will be very counterproductive* Importance of doing their own homework and research - no easy or universal answers* The value of 2nd medical opinions, and from different specialists* To save time, handout lists of recommended reading material, PCa forums, OWT's, and research sites

Finally a list of forum names that should be ignored at all costs....I can send you mine ;-)

Here's some help with some baseline "quiz" questions (as mentioned above)...helps to bring everyone to the same common understanding while educating many. Each correct answer is worth one $1 Dollar Store trinket.

Your ask: "True or False. Prostate cancer is the 'good' cancer."

[My guess is that the first response is going to be "true," but someone will quickly say "false" after you don't acknowledge.]

You respond: "False is the right answer. There is no 'good' cancer. Close to 25,000 men in the US will die of prostate cancer in the US this year; there's nothing 'good' about that. The whole notion of 'good' and 'bad' is a misnomer from a famous doctor's quote--Dr Willet Whitmore, know as the father of modern urologic oncology--who said that there's 'good prostate cancer' and 'bad prostate cancer.' But the notion that there is ANY cancer that is 'good' is simply false. Even having the "good prostate cancer" will change your life."

Other HW/PC members can give some additional suggestions for other quiz questions...but that first one is a great tee-up to ask the next quiz question about the prevalence of "good" prostate cancer, followed by quiz questions about the "bad" PC.

I can't think of anything to add to all the good suggestions already posted. It is wonderful that you are doing these presentations. Your balanced views and desire to be helpful will make the presentation a good one.